Event strategy

Clarify considerations like goals, audience, and format. That helps you decide on content, speakers, and venue/ platform.

What's the goal of the event? Are you looking to share information? Create relationships? Explore something new together?

• Is the audience clearly defined?

• Choose an event name that is clear, compelling, and exciting.

  • Create consistent naming and branding as a group over time

• Choose an event format that meets your goals and is appropriate to your audience. Formats include...

  • Presentations

  • Tutorials

  • Panels/ roundtables

  • Show-and-tell/ case study

  • Unconference/ Open Space

  • Workshops

  • Co-working, hackathons, or other generative formats

• Does it hang together? Have you chosen a format, name, venue, and time that will be compelling to your audience and will meet your goals?

• User group meetings can incorporate any of the formats above.

• See Event Marketing for tips on getting the word out

Speakers & content

• Check out Autodesk University Online to get inspired on potential topics for meetings.

• Check out the Group Network's Speaker & Content Database to find guest speakers and presentation-ready decks to use at your next event.

• Try to get people from the group to present. Presenting can lead to more group leadership & ownership.

• Other places to source speakers

  • AU speakers

  • Expert Elites

  • Resellers

• Post the pictures of the people who’ll be presenting at your event, link to their website or LinkedIn page. (Example: DFWIUG Past Speakers list)

  • It looks good and and attracts people.

  • It acknowledges presenters’ expertise and helps them get their personal brand out there.

• If you do really advanced topics, you’ll have a smaller event. But that might be what you want.

Venues

• Venues might include

  • Offices

    • Autodesk offices, if you're near one and there's space available (contact us)

    • Autodesk partner offices

  • Bars/ restaurants

  • Schools/ classrooms

  • Conference centers

• Choose a venue or online platform to match your format & goals

  • Don't be afraid to rearrange the furniture to enable people flow and conversation, based on your goals & agenda.

• Location, location, location - it’s crucial!

  • Accessibility by public transport

  • Parking availability

  • Compelling space or neighborhood - where people want to go

  • If you're in a major city, find a central location to host the event so everyone can attend and drive the same distance.

• It's a good idea to create a spreadsheet of local venues that your group might use, with contact information. This is a good shared resource for leaders.

• Make sure you know any rules that might be imposed by the venue (e.g. no outside food)

  • Be careful of food and drink costs at venues like conference centers. They may be significantly marked-up.

• For larger events, you may need a venue that offers multiple rooms.

• Do a site visit

The online meeting technology you choose essentially becomes the venue if your event is virtual.

See Tips for Group Tools for more on virtual meeting technology

Engage to improve

Submit questions, feedback, or suggestions on hosting events

Connect with a peer mentor on hosting events - access codes listed here for Autodesk Group Network members. Become a peer mentor